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Three Lambton men arrested for string of robberies

Three men face more than 50 charges in a string of pharmacy robberies that had rural pharmacists on guard.

Middlesex OPP announced Sunday that the three Lambton County men were arrested Friday.

The suspects targeted pharmacies in rural towns across the region, sometimes using a knife as a weapon, in an attempt to steal prescription pills.

The robberies began May 31 when the Thamesford Pharmsave was hit. At about 3 p.m., two men walked into the pharmacy and demanded OxyContin, a highly addictive prescription drug.

Four days later, the suspects hit pharmacies in Bothwell and Mt. Brydges, but left the Bothwell store empty handed after a pharmacist grabbed a chair in self-defence.

On June 7 the suspects attempted to rob an Ilderton pharmacy but were again unsuccessful.

But two days later, the thieves again managed to get their hands on Oxy pills after targeting a pharmacy in Zurich.

Melissa Hunter, a Zurich pharmacy technician, spoke with The Free Press on Friday about the incident.

"Two guys walked into the store and saw we had patients and turned around. They came back (about an hour later) and one stayed at the front door. The other guy came up to the counter and said 'I want your Oxys.' He had a knife," she said.

The string of robberies had rural pharmacists in the area on alert.

Mike McKechnie, a pharmacist in Dutton, told The Free Press his pharmacy had drastically cut their narcotics supply, only carrying enough to get a patient through to the next day.

Middlesex, Huron and Oxford County OPP worked with Strathroy-Caradoc and Chatham Kent police on the investigation.

Shane Asselin, 26, of Lambton Shores, Geoff Harper, 31, and Dale Minnielly, 28, both from Forest, face more than four dozen charges, including robbery, possession of a weapon and possession of a controlled substance.

All three are in police custody awaiting a bail hearing in London court.